Scientific Method Flashcards
(20 cards)
investigation
the way to find out the answer
to a question
experiment
an organized procedure to
study something under controlled conditions
observation
the process of obtaining
information by using the five senses
hypothesis/prediction
a testable idea,
prediction, or explanation that leads to
scientific investigation. A hypothesis, or
prediction, an educated guess about the
outcome of a situation
inference
a conclusion about what will
happen based on evidence and what you
already know
conclusion
explains the pattern that you
see in the data
claim
a statement or conclusion that
answers the original question or problem
evidence
scientific data that supports the
claim
reasoning
a justification that connects the
evidence to the claim
analyze/analysis
to break down the
explanation into its meaningful parts
variable
anything that can be changed in
an experiment
independent variable
in a scientific
investigation, this is the factor that is
deliberately manipulated. (Remember: this
is the variable that the scientist changes.)
dependent variable
in a scientific
investigation, this is the factor that changes
because of the independent variable.
(Remember: the dependent variable is the
variable that is measured when we collect
our data.)
control/controlled variable
also known as
the constant variable, this is a variable that
remains unchanged throughout the
experiment.
reliability
getting the same results on
repeated trials of an investigation
data
information gathered by observation
or experimentation that can be used in
calculating or reasoning
repetition
occurs when an activity is
repeated by the same person
replication
occurs when an activity is
repeated by a different person
qualitative data
data that describes
qualities, such as size, color, and shape, etc.
quantitative data
data that measures
quantities, such as numbers, mass, length,
height, or amount, etc.
